1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive power supply system.
2. Description of Related Art
There are automotive power supply systems known in the related art that include an inverter connected to a rotating electrical machine and a multi-series battery control system.
Such an automotive power supply system is configured so as to charge the individual batteries in the multi-series battery control system, which are connected in series, via the inverter with the power originating from the rotating electrical machine that rotates as the vehicle travels and also to supply power from the batteries to the rotating electrical machine via the inverter.
The voltages at the individual batteries are detected and the SOC (state of charge) of each battery is adjusted so as to equalize the voltage values at the various batteries in the multi-series battery control system. The serially connected batteries and an electrical load such as the inverter in the automotive power supply system are connected with each other via a relay circuit.
An automotive power supply system assuming the structure described above is disposed in, for instance, Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2005-318751.
While it is desirable to supply power to the electrical load as soon as possible in the automotive power supply system structured as described above, there is a safety issue yet to be addressed effectively in that in the event of an abnormality at a battery power may be supplied before the abnormality is detected.